God's care, and thanking of benefactors, while all unprofitable! The expenses of my sickness were about $70. What should we have done without the aid of your Society? I am gaining slowlyhope to resume my labors before long.

At

rance cause flourishes among us.
our annual meeting we had an acces-
sion of thirty-four members, so that our
society numbers rising of one hundred
and thirty members.

From Rev. C. C. Cadwell, Rochester,
Wis.

End of a Year and beginning of

another.

In closing up the last year, it was deemed proper to hold a meeting on the evening of the last day of the same, for the purpose of recounting the acts of God's goodness exercised toward us during the year. This meeting was at Honey Creek, and attended with good results. Many spake of the year as being the happiest ever enjoyed, and the only one by them closed in the service of God. All Christians present appeared to be much refreshed. The Lord was with us in very deed. Three desired an interest in our prayers, and others were deeply impressed with their need of salvation. The first day of the present year was observed as a day of fasting and prayer. The object was that of humbling ourselves before God, and praying that the work of the Lord might be revived throughout the territory. This was a day of deep interest to all present.

From a Missionary in Illinois. "Nothing but the preached Gospel will preserve them,”

These churches are tender vines of Jehovah's planting; and they must not be left to the destruction of the wildboar of the forest. The observation of nine years in this great valley, has convinced me that nothing but the means of grace connected with a preached Gospel will preserve them. As I sit writing, and cast my mind's eye around on several of these tender plants, now withering and dying for want of a spiritual cultivator. Their candlestick has been removed, and their light is going out.

From Rev. Joseph Rieger.

German Mimion in Madison County,

Illinois.

In some former letters to you I stated the particulars in regard to the popula tion which occupies this part of the large plain, as near as I could, espeOn the following day (being the Sab- cially that a great part of them are Ro bath) we commemorated the dying man Catholics, a good many of whoi love of our ascended Lord, in the pre- are convinced of the capital errors of sence of a crowded assembly. This the Popish church, and are glad to be was an interesting day to the church. better informed about those truths, on Many hearts seemed to send to God which the welfare of the soul depends. their tribute of thanksgiving for his Another part stand indifferent. They loving kindness. The tears that fell hear the word of God occasionally; yet from many eyes, told that these were there is no change of heart. A third feelings of gratitude possessed for mer-class, of Roman Catholics, came in last cies past. Two were added to our summer, consisting of upwards of one number. Since that time there has hundred persons, well guarded against been a good degree of interest manifest in the church. Two of those mentioned as desiring prayers have since been hopefully converted, and another individual reclaimed. Many others are inquiring. Our weekly and female prayer meetings, and church meetings, are as usually attended. The tempe

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heresy" by an almost unimaginable ignorance in regard to religion. Among our Protestants, there are many who are more zealous now than they were when I first came here, yet many there. are cold and entangled in worldly matters.

I thought that the priests at St. Louis

had already given up this place, but at length they came here, not with the Gospel of peace, but with threatenings of hell and purgatory, and with a shrine filled with bones they call "relics." They went about to all who ever belonged to the Romish Church, and were especially severe with those who had become attached to the evangelical church. The most ignorant among them were set in motion, to invite every body to come to mass and hear them prove, that there was a purgatory; and I had to preach about purgatory also.

of churches." We had our first meeting at Princeton; and are soon to have one at Dover. The meeting at P. was one of deep interest; and we cherish the hope that they will, under God, be of saving benefit to the churches. Something of this nature might be of special service to the churches generally in this western valley, and I wish the suggestion might go out to them. It is the design of these meetings to wake up and call into action the members of the churches. The ministers of the several churches attend, and direct the exercises, but do not depend much on preaching. The time is taken up in prayer, confession, addresses, and holding out mutual encouragement.

They sent their missionaries but twice, and more than two months have gone by since any of them has been here. The result of their visits seems to have been in no way favorable to their views, for, although some who for- Peculiar obstacles requiring peculiar merly had come to our meetings, have never been seen since, yet on the other hand there seems to be more decision against Romanism.

The chapel which I built last summer has now a belfry, and one of the largest cow-bells from Switzerland mountains, and renders us great services. We now, during the winter, hold all our meetings in it, and it serves as school-house too.

My school consists of 16 pupils, from 10 to 16 years of age, whom I teach two days every week in German. Religious instruction is the chief object, and I am rejoiced to notice their progress in every branch of instruction. Moreover, five of them, among whom are two Catholic girls, seem to be truly pious, and by means of them many a good word is brought to other families. My impression in regard to this field of labor is, that if it can possibly be kept up, it is very important, as the population is mostly educated, and will, in regard to religious doctrines, exert a far greater influence than those who are ignorant.

fidelity.

But

These western churches seem especially to need more than ordinary means of grace. When a religious interest is awakened, it seems more readily to decline, than in churches at the East. This is probably a natural consequence of our peculiar circumstances. few professing Christians are in settled and easy circumstances. The making of farms, and furnishing them with buildings, (or what is more common, struggling with the difficulties consequent upon the want of them,) the irritating effects among neighbors and christian brethren, of establishing new roads, which are as sure to offend some, as to please others; with the operation of an almost endless train of things incident in a new country-all this leaves nothing like leisure, nor any of that calmness, and quietude of spirit, without which the flame of piety can never burn steadily in the soul. It has been suggested, too, that more than ordinary. attachment to the closet must exist here, to secure any thing like a common frequency of closet devotions. Such are the dwellings of three fourths of the church members, that they can

From Rev. Asa Donaldson, Dover, Ill. scarcely find a place for secret devo

Conferences of churches.

As a special means of grace, we united with several churches in this vicinity in what we call a "conference

tion and the effect is as the blighting of death. Ministers here can scarcely fail to suspect this difficulty among the private members of the church, being not only sufferers with them in this, but often suffering the want of the

seclusion and private devotions of a study.

Possibly one or two, out of ten of your missionaries, may have something like a study room: the rest must set down in the room with the family, which is at the same time, kitchen, sitting room, parlor and study; and there make preparation for the Sabbath if they can and he who can succeed in keeping the bearing of his soul steady on the subject, will thank God, that he can have ears deaf to the clatter of crockery and kettles, the noise of children, and the hum of conversation.

of speculation continued, which was here with its withering influence when you began to set up these churches, sure as we are that the Mississippi will continue to flow southward, so sure we may be that this work of salvation must have been defeated. Had that prosperity continued only till this moment, and the enthusiasm of emigration continued to roll on its agitated and turbid torrents, and before the institutions of religion could have begun to operate, we had been undone !

You might as well undertake to lay the foundations of a house amid the rushing overflow of a river, as to have attempted the founding of the spiritual temple here, had not those floods abated, which in eighteen hundred and thirtyseven, were bringing the worshippers of Mammon from every quarter of the globe. In mercy, God has said to these proud waves, "hitherto shall ye come and no further;" and we give him thanks for this mercy!

Hence it is seen, that a deep interest of heart must be kept up, or the strong current of untoward circumstances will soon cause divine things to receive but secondary regard. Once in a few weeks, two, three, or more churches, can come together, (at least a good share of the members,) and spend a day in "stirring up one another's minds by way of rememberance," and keep up a counter influence in their hearts of strong resisting power, which will drive back the overspreading flood of From Rev. R. N. Wright, Belvidere, Ill. evil things.

The West saved by adversity.

On the subject of the protracted dependence of these feeble churches on the Christians at the East, occasioned by the embarrassments of the times, we wish we could say, being heard by all, and believed, that this is God's own way of answering the prayers they put up to him, when they first set their hands to this work of salvation. They prayed that God would bless this work, and set up his spiritual kingdom here, a mighty bulwark against overspreading iniquity, which they saw would be likely to embody itself, as the wide-spreading waters of our western lakes, and might roll its floods backward upon the East. They prayed that he would make the waters of life to flow here, like the rivers of this great valley for it was seen by all discerning Christians, that a more limited blessing would fall short of the pressing wants of our American Zion. But had the temporal prosperity and spirit

Looking to God.

Some of our number seem to have become sensible of our situation, and are burdened in spirit. Their cry is ascending, and I shall be disappointed if light does not break in. Certain of the brethren are to commence to-morrow going from house to house for prayer and religious conversation with every member of the church. After this labor is completed, we have appointed to come together and spend one day in prayer and conference. Some of our number can be satisfied with nothing but the descent of the Holy Ghost. They say, "when we were very few, and without the ordinances of the Gospel, God heard our prayer and appeared for us. church was formed, and the preaching of the word was enjoyed by us a portion of the time. But as many came to listen, where should we meet? God again heard our prayer, and added to our number brethren who had the ability and disposition to aid us in procuring a convenient, temporary place for public worship. Now we wanted a pastor to

A

will be kept up, and the progress of the Gospel greatly retarded.

It is from a thorough conviction of the importance to the cause of evangelical piety, of some plan of united action between these subdivisions of the same Christian family, that we have rejoiced in the successful experiment made by the Churches of Wisconsin. A correspondent of the New-England Puritan gives the history of this experiment, substantially as follows:-"A presbytery

be continually with us. In this also, God heard our cry, and presently a shepherd unknown by face to any of the brethren, appeared to lead the flock; and what we lacked for his support, God took from other churches by means of a benevolent society and gave to us. Next we felt the need of a house of worship; and here too, the Lord was better than our fears; for his providence prepared the way, and is promising us in a few months a temple for the living God. And now," say they, "when we have found that we are perishing in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, shall we, with all this experience of his goodness, cease to cry mightily unto God, till he pour us out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to re-ple somewhat resembling the plan adopted ceive it?"

Deterioration of Morals.

The deterioration of morals, resulting from migration from East to West is astonishing. In general, the wave of emigration keeps far ahead of the missionary, and tract volume, and often of the Bible; and there men can have, as they term it, "their full swing." And often a pretty dense population is found before the institutions of the Gospel break in upon the region of vice. Hence the importance of the Home Missionary Society. Men who ran away from the Gospel to avoid its restraints, or who, when away, are fond of the liberty it gives them, can barely be expected to invite it among them, or do much to sustain it when it comes.

was formed as soon as there were ministers enough to constitute it; but as the population increased, it was found that there were many Congregational ministers and laymen who were unwilling to join such a body. An effort was then made to effect a union on a princi

in Ohio and Western New-York; but that plan was not satisfactory. After a full discussion of the subject, a plan was devised, which, we think, secures the grand features of both denominations. It unites all the ministers in one body, and gives each church the privilege of a representation by one delegate.-This body constitutes a convention, which serves as a Presbytery to those who prefer Presbyterian discipline, and as a Consociation to those which prefer Congrega tional order- leaving each church to transact its own business by select council, if it chooses to do so. In this way the convention serves as a bond of union and brotherhood, while it leaves the Congregational churches essentially independent.

"Thus far," says the correspondent above alluded to, "the plan works well. I have never attended meetings of greater harmony or more perfect co-operation than ours have been, since the preliminaries were all settled.

CO-OPERATION OF CONGREGATIONALISTS Our last meeting developed a degree of talent

AND PRESBYTERIANS IN THE WEST.

Union, Desirable and Practicable.

We trust the day is far distant which shall see these two classes of churches and ministers striving with each other as rival denominations. Their interests are so identical-and especially in the West, their people are so commingled, that unless some plan of cooperation be adopted whereby both may listen to the same ministers and sit at the same communion table, an unholy emulation

and energy of christian character which I have never before seen in a young country."

Other Evidence.

As further proof of the growing conviction of brethren, that union is desirable and can be attained, we extract one or two other

notices.

From a Missionary in Cook co., Ill.

Our ecclesiastical meeting was, as usual, deeply interesting. Among other

things which made it so, was the per- || land," we devote the following pages to a fect unanimity that attended all our record of the work of the Lord in different deliberations and acts. Would that parts of our beloved country. To such as brethren at the East, could have been "mourn in Zion," the divine language here, and beheld for themselves, how seems to be the same as to the desponding the presence of Presbyterian brethren Jews: "MY SPIRit remaineth among YOU, and their cordial co-operation in our deliberations, instead of marring, perFEAR YE NOT." Hag. ii. 5. fected that peace. Instead of feeling MISSOURI. shy and jealous of each other, when

we meet, our feelings seem to be like From Rev. W. T. Dickson, West Ely, those of Paul and his company when they came to "Appii Forum and the Three Taverns." O there is truly a luxury in these unaffected greetings!|| bors, we have not been entirely without Pray that the Presbyterian and Congregational brethren in this new and arduous field may continue to the last to feel that they are one in Christ, one in labor and suffering, one in joys.